Specifications:Standard zoom lens with an Image Stabilizer and high zoom ratio. With the Image Stabilizer turned on, you can obtain sharp, natural-looking pictures in dim lighting without using flash or a tripod. Very handy for places where flash is prohibited. Uses ring-type USM for swift, silent autofocus and full-time manual focus. Closest focusing distance is 20 in. (50 cm).

If you have a Canon camera, you need this lens. Especially good for the FF body but nice on a crop.
I think it has been around for nearly 20 years. That says something and makes a lot of good used copies out there.

Sep 11, 2014

SKYWESTROfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Feb 18, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 1241

Review Date: Jun 30, 2014

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $200.00
| Rating: 8

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Pros:

great range on FF 6D, 5Ds. Sharp wide open throughout the zoom range, pretty good IS, fast silent focus

Cons:

for the price I haven't found any negatives.... ok maybe if it came with a lens hood but I bought one off Amazon for $7.

Just bought this lens used from someone who got it with a 60d kit. Maybe Canon's quality control isn't as tight with the non-L's cause there's no reason ANYONE should hate on this lens.

I've had numerous L, Tamron and Sigma zooms and primes and I'm used to shooting with a small depth of focus. Maybe that's why some reviewers give it a bad rap, it's just a better lens than they are a photographer.

The focus is fast, silent and very accurate on my 6D. I bought this as a walk-around lens for an upcoming vacation. I figured most of my family shots will be above f4 anyway so why not try this one out. Very glad I did. I took a few test shots of my kid running around. I'll try to link to the photos.

This is a great buy at around $200, definitely worth buying it over the 24-105L.

The 28-135mm IS is a worthy lens in my opinion. Lens creep can be a bit annoying, but it isn't a very long fall and the versatility of zoom range, quick and silent auto-focus, and outstanding Image Stabilization make it well worth dealing with a few inches of creep. And don't forget, you also get full-time manual focus over-ride, and that is EXTREMELY convenient.

I find the lens sharp and the contrast very good. I personally use a Custom Image Parameter setting and beef up the in camera sharpness a couple of notches.

Biggest drawback is 28mm is not much of a wide angle on a crop body, but I like zoom flexibility more, so it is worth it to me. Buy a cheap, used or refurb 18-55 IS if you need extra wide angle for 100 bucks.

Not very wide on crop cameras, monsterous when mounted on a Rebel size camera.

I've owned three of these now, all of them have been good. I first started shooting with an XT and one of these lenses, it was a great setup to learn basic photography skills with. The zoom range is good, though limited on crop sensor cameras. This lens makes a great "walk around" setup on a full frame or 1.3 (1D-Mark whatever) camera.

If you're looking for a good starter lens, or something for travel, I would certainly suggest checking this one out.

Not such a useful range on crop, slow variable apertue, colour not as vibrant and contrast lower than more expensive alternatives. Build is OK but nowhere near L quality. IS only 2 stops, zoom creep. Distortion.

Decent value, much better optically than some of the cheapest EF-S lenses but range not great for crop cameras. Build is so-so. Surprisingly good optically on the 5D if you're willing to use a little PP. Punches above its weight when its price is taken into consideration.

Oct 9, 2011

djpapaOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Nov 4, 2009Location: ChinaPosts: 234

Review Date: Dec 1, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 9

†

Pros:

IS ,28-135, not expensive,light weight

Cons:

barrel sliding

You pay what you got.
I use it outdoor under sunshine day and lighting setup in studio

Good walk around lens. Not expensive. Good zoom range. Great snap shot lens and a good studio lens.

Cons:

Color and contrast not as good as more expensive lens, but can be fixed in post processing.

I have owned this lens since 2003 when I purchased it with the Canon 10D. I have also used with the 5D and now with the 5D MK II. This is a nice lens to use for snapshots at the kids birthday parties or when shooting in the studio at F8. For the most part, this is a two stop lens for me either F5.6 or F8. It does a fine job at these F stops. If I want something more wide open, I use a prime. The color/contrast is not as good as the primes and it is not as sharp. But, I have found these issues pretty easy to correct in post processing. I have thought about purchasing the 24-105L, but prefer using a prime when I want more than a snapshot. I highly recommend this lens, but, you have to set your expectations accordingly.

Oct 11, 2010

ridekleinOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Apr 2, 2010Location: N/APosts: 18

Review Date: Jun 8, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $275.00
| Rating: 8

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Pros:

Bang-for-the-Buck, Accurate AF, USM, IS, Good Walkaround Lens.

Cons:

Wobbly Zoom Barrel.

I use this on a T1i (APS-C) as a general purpose (walkaround) outdoor lens for when I want additional reach over my 15-85mm f/3.5-5.6 IS USM.

This was my first general purpose outdoor lens, before I bought the 15-85. I loved it, well -- until I bought the 15-85.

I have taken a lot of great pictures with the 28-135. If this FL range suits your needs, and you have a limited budget, I highly recommend it. However, if you can afford the 24-105 f/4L, get it instead. It is sharper, and it is faster at the longer FL's, even though its max zoom range is slightly less (105 vs 135). I rented the 24-105, and did witness its ability.

Regarding the Barrel Creep... I don't think it's as big a deal as people make it to be. It's there, but if you're mindful of it, it's no big deal.

I ended up shelving my 28-135 in favor of the 15-85 due to the minimum FL on my APS-C. 28mm = 45mm on full frame. I missed group and close-subject shots because I couldn't fill the frame with everything I wanted. However, I made shots between 85-135mm, that I'll have to foot-zoom or crop now with the 15-85.

Conclusion: If you're an Rebel owner, like most of us are that would be considering this lens, and don't have $600-700 to spend on the 15-85, or $1000 to spend on the 17-55 or 24-105L, then this is a great step up from the usual 18-55 kit lens. See how well the 28-135 zoom range suits your needs. Its IQ belies its low cost of ownership.

Jun 8, 2010

aVOLancheOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Apr 7, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 159

Review Date: Jan 12, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $300.00
| Rating: 10

†

Pros:

Range is excellent...especially on FF.Good IS.Well built compared to the new plastic lenses.Good color/contrast and sharp.Excellent lens for $300!

Cons:

Size/weight

Excellent value in a nice walk-around lens.

Jan 12, 2010

mscottloganOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Feb 7, 2008Location: United StatesPosts: 60

Review Date: Jan 11, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $350.00
| Rating: 9

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Pros:

good lens not an L series but defiently a good walking around lens. Noice picture taking quality.

Cons:

zoom creep goes to 5.6 at 135

Jan 11, 2010

Mike1.6OfflineBuy and Sell: On

Registered: May 24, 2005Location: United StatesPosts: 1474

Review Date: Jan 3, 2010

Recommend? yes |
Price paid: $275.00
| Rating: 8

†

Pros:

A useful zoom range for a walk around lens, even on a crop camera. Full time manual focus. Quick and quiet USM auto-focus. Focus distance window on lens. Image stabilization. Center sharpness throuhgout the zoom/ aperture range. Weight.

Cons:

Corner softness. Zoom droop. Not the best choice for full-frame edge to edge sharpness.

Let's make sure we keep in mind the price/performance ratio on this under-rated lens. At the price most people end up paying for this Canon upper level consumer zoom the value is incredible.

That is to say, if you buy it as part of a camera kit with your 40D/50D/7D you're paying only $200 for it. If you buy it used from someone selling it from a kit you'll pay between $275-$300. At those prices, this lens is a bargain. The autofocus is fast and quiet. The zoom range, although a little narrow on the short end makes up for it on the 135 end. Image quality is very good, although it does suffer from CA it is not a deal breaker.

If you need a walk around lens that won't break the bank and will give you very good images, you know, the kind that DON'T look like they came from you kid's point&shoot, buy this lens USED.

Jan 3, 2010

biglank1OfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Nov 17, 2008Location: United KingdomPosts: 1

Review Date: Nov 3, 2009

Recommend? no |
Price paid: $290.00
| Rating: 5

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Pros:

Convenience of zoom range. Auto focus is surprisingly quiet

Cons:

poor contrast, color representation, lens creep

So I was in my "young and dumb" stage of just starting out. I couldn't afford individual lenses that met the focal distances of this lens. So I did what most beginners do: buy the cheapest lens you can afford. I've always heard to spend good money on good lenses, because you'll quickly get tired of the cheap lenses and want to upgrade. I should have listened. It's merely a kit lens, just slightly better the dreaded 18-55mm that comes with the Rebel series. I would recommend it for people who aren't considering becoming serious about photography and just want it for decent pictures at family barbecues and vacations. If you are interested in becoming serious about photography, don't buy this lens with your 40 or 50d. I typically take pictures of people. I haven't tried it much on landscape, so I can't really speak on that. Get the body separate because it will be cheaper, and spend money on a lens that you won't quickly outgrow. I was satisfied with the lens for maybe the first month or two. Then I started comparing my pictures to real photographers, trying to figure what I was doing wrong, not realizing no matter how hard I tried, I would be greatly limited by the abilities of this lens. I'm honestly surprised that Canon would sell it for so high. Please save up your money and get something that will be worth it. The lens creeps out if you hold it down. Online, this lens looks like it would have a good quality build, but it's very plasticky.

This is one of Canonís most underrated non-L zooms. I purchased this lens in November 2007 to fill a need/desire to have an IS lens with this range. I have not been disappointed. Even though this lens is only f/3.5-5.6, I find that I can get consistently good shots at very low shutter speeds, and in low light. The color and contrast is also very good. I have read a lot of reviews comparing this lens to the 24-105L and I find that there really are not a lot of differences between the two; except in price. I have taken a lot of photographs inside and outside, with flash and without, and this lens performs very well. When I am not concerned about depth of field and I just want to relax and shoot, I will put this lens on my 50D any day.

Nov 3, 2009

vinceOfflineImage Upload: Off

Registered: Mar 18, 2002Location: ChinaPosts: 306

Review Date: Oct 23, 2009

Recommend? |
Price paid: Not Indicated

†

Pros:

IS, fast focusing, decent build quality.

Cons:

Average optics

I reviewed this lens once before, a long while back, but after having used other lenses extensively I need to re-review this. Back then, it was a pretty decent consumer kit zoom on film cameras. I had a chance to compare images shot with this lens on my old 300D with images taken on the 18-55 kit lens and other more recent zooms. This lens fares poorly compared to even the cheapest all-plastic zooms available today. 6-7 years ago, I would have recommended it, but today there are several cheaper and better alternatives.